News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-10-20
ON THE RACE TRACK.
The Long-Haired Man at the Sidney
Camp.

"Hosses is peculiar critters, Said a
long haired man at the Sidney 1Neb.) }
camp. "Why so? Well, you Know
Bill Simmons has got a runnin' hoss.
Bill happened to mosey round big
camp not fur off an he looks at their
+ poorest hoss an kinder grins lnwardly
an keeps down laugh by tryin' mighty
hard, an says he: Stranger, that ali
hoss O. your'n looks S if it might have
! some speed in him?' 'Ya-es,' says the
man, sorter sleepy and careless like; 'he
runs some 'Y' ever put him on the
track 2 asts Bill Sometimes, though
he's gettin pretty old, says the old man.
Would you mind havin' q little race
with an old hoss O mine 2 goes on Bill.
I'm greeable, says the man. So they
went over to the track, an all the rest
of went long, o. course. Bills hoss
come on 50 he couldn't hardly hold him,
head up an mouth open. The strange
hoss looked kinder sneakin' an stood
round with one for'ard leg bent an its
head down eatin' grass. / knowed Bills
hoss was goin' to beat, an most ev'ry-
body else did. We bet all we could
though there want nobody to bet will
'cept the stranger partner, an he dldni
seem overly n above anxious, though
he did take few bets an kinder polo
gized by sayin' their old hoss could rIlr
once, though it was hard to tell what he
would do that day. I'm darned II he
wasn't right, to"
elbow was he right ?"
"W'y, it was hard to tell what, he
would do that day. Old Capt. Blngsley
started 'em, an Bills hoss led right Oft.
The stranger pounded way on the ribs
O. his'n, but he couldn't git no motion
onto him. Bill came way ahead, and
I'm liar if we didn't see that strange
hoss nippin' at the grass long the track
as he came down the hOmstretch. Well,
the stranger looked gloomy, an set on
his hOss an let him eat tween the heats
it as to be the best two in three. But
his partner, who was doing the bettln',
acted sight diff'rent. He got hoppin'
mad. an said he'd bet anyhow if he did
lose. We heerd the feller what rode
tellin' him not to do it, cos Bills boss
were better than they thought, but he
said he didn't give durn, he'd bet any
how. So we all bet with him, gIvln'
him big odds so his money would go
furder. an we could have a whack at it.
But he 'peared to have an uncommon
pile of it, an kept pullin' it out an tax
in every bet offered. I'll be snaked II
he didn't have mOre'n the whole crowd.
After while they got ready to start
again. The stranger hadn't been off his
hos at all, but had set there chewin' ter
hacker an lookin' sick. Il got so more
to bet on our boss, says the man, but
nobody had another cent. Jes' then
they started; same old story-Bills boss
takin' long jumps an the other kinder
bobbin up n down an actin S If it
hurt him. I'll bet you my watch agin
yer S1O,' says I. Shove her up, says he.
1 turned round an done so, an looked
back ies' in time to see the stranger lean
over and whoop at his hoss bout the
time they was half way round the track,
an I'll be gol burned if 1 ever seen any
thing like it in my born days. Run
Great jumpin' Jupiter Run amt no
name fer it. That hoss jes' bumped
down his back an reached out an
doubled up Bill said afterwards that
he didn't know nothin' bout when he
passed him, an s'posed all the time he
was ahead till he met he other comm
back jes' fore he went under the wire
Fact, I tell you They rested awhile
an then run the other heat. This time
the strange hoss jes' went off i'll what
'peared to be an easy gallop, an KEEP
bout rod ahead O Bill all the way.
THROWN dust in his face an 'casionally
kickin' back at him kinder funny like
But, you bet, we didn't see nothin' fun
ny bout it.